Jalousie-type windows presently occupy an important position in the field of construction, because of their aesthetic appeal and functionalism, among other advantages.
Nothwithstanding the foregoing, up to the present time this type of movable-slat window has depended for its operation on systems of levers which, after a certain usage, become loose and therefore do not prevent the strips or slats from being moved by an external agency such as the air; the strips then move and thereby either permit or impede the passage of air contrary to the desired position.
Other mechanisms are known in addition to those of the simple lever for moving the slats of the jalousie-type windows, such as those of rack and pinion, which are of course costly and difficult to manufacture; in addition after a certain period of use wear is produced between mating teeth which leads to failure of the mechanism, so that it does not guarantee a proper positioning or perfect closure.
In my Mexican Pat. No. 107,199, I disclosed a system for fixing the slats of a jalousie-type window consisting of a tongue or pawl releasable by means of a sliding lever system, which is resiliently biassed to catch in a slotted sector having as many slots as the number of the desired fixed positions for the slats of the window.
The mechanism described in that patent, notwithstanding the substantial advantages it offers, has been considerably improved both in its structural parts and its operation by the automatic actuating mechanism covered in the present patent application, in which the sliding lever is not required to lock or unlock the pawl, because it includes a cam mechanism which by the mere movement of the principal lever compels a double ratchet to catch and to release from a fixed position without special care of effort by the user. In other words, by the mere movement of the principal lever, the user operates indirectly an automatic mechanism which releases a double ratchet, which will lock again in the position in which the user leaves the window slats, thus affording a simple mechanism which without requiring additional pressure firmly secures the slats or leaves of a jalousie-type window in the desired position, preventing them from being moved by an external agency such as the wind.